Each Sunday morning, millions of Americans head to worship houses or gather around their television to listen to televangelists’ faith-filled sermons.
The preachers leading the flock rely heavily on donations from their faithful followers, who give nearly $100 billion annually. But some, such as Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), question how the churches are allocating their funds.
“We need to make sure that the sanctity of tax exemption for charitable giving is preserved, respected… maintains its credibility,” Grassley said.
Grassley said he was prompted to action by whistleblowers before he sent six letters to television ministries and demanded they explain their alleged lavish spending, among allegations of $23,000 marble toilets.
The televangelists have one month to respond to the Senate inquiry, which is voluntary. The senator has requested information from the following people and churches: Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga.; Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas; Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga.; Joyce and David Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo.; Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas; and Randy and Paula White of the multi-racial Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla., according to The Associated Press.
Dollar, who requested funds to purchase a jet for his church, defended his position.
“Like a carpenter has to have a hammer to do his job, I’ve got to have a plane to fly around this world and be back here to pastor two churches — one here and one in New York,” Dollar said. Dollar, who requested funds to purchase a jet for his church, defended his position.
“Like a carpenter has to have a hammer to do his job, I’ve got to have a plane to fly around this world and be back here to pastor two churches — one here and one in New York,” Dollar said.
The popular media rarely reports on the Christian Church in a positive manner. This article is no exception. I am not a fan of prosperity/celebrity preachers but I do have some questions before pronouncing guilt or innocence.
What are the staffing costs? Are the salaries for the responsibilities equivalent to the secular salaries in their metropolitan areas? What types of benevolence is given to members of the congregation and to the community? How much do they give in outreach? What is their facilities cost?
The millions of dollars that we are seeing spent do not reflect the Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus took 12 men and lived among them with no place to call “home”. One on One interaction to teach people a new way of life and walk with them through the process of life transformation (discipleship) was the model of The Master. Jesus cared more about the marginalized people than anyone else. In fact as I quickly scan the scriptures I see Jesus hanging out with a lot of people who were not included in the social, political or religious elite. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and unwelcome in his own community. The woman with an issue of blood was ceremonially unclean and lived on the outskirts of the city. The 10 lepers probably lived in the same neighborhood. The Samaritan woman was an outcast in two communities. The man by the pool of Bethesda depended on other people for everything. Where are these preachers fulfilling the model of Christ? Since I do not know all of the answers to these questions I am slow to reach any conclusions or judgments of ministry ethics violations. I do believe that the mega-church is antithetical to the biblical model of church that we see in the scriptures.
You can not have koinonia in a mega church structure. Yes there are small communities in most large churches but it is hard to have table fellowship with 5000 on a regular basis. Why build a multi million worship facility to be used once (maybe twice) a week when you equip 100s of pastors and plant them in the communities where they live to provide a community of faith rather than a celebrity following.
Don’t forget that Richard Roberts is under investigation for dipping into the college’ endowment funds for personal expenses. Where is the accountability? Where are the elders? Where is the church council? I notice that John Cherry, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Bishop Charles Blake and Floyd Flake, are not under investigation. They are also not prosperity preachers. What are these pastors doing differently? Is this a prelude to eliminating the 501 (c) 3 status for all churches?
By the way – I have been accused of being jealous. I am critical of the way we do church period after studying the New Testament. I am challenging the clergy to critically reflect on their calling. Everybody wants to live in relative comfort but the excess is what I am arguing against.
If you want to donate me your Bentley or jet I will accept it and probably sell it and use the funds to dig wells and provide clean drinking water in a developing country. (Maybe I should put a donation button on my blog)
November 13, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Nice article. May I invite you see my article, “Money, Honey” at the following address: http://www.futurechurch.net/archives_view.asp?articleid=58
November 14, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I am Shocked, Shocked! – Of the six prosperity preacher families sent US Senate Finance Committee letters on 11/5/07 requesting information, perhaps some might use the Claude Rains Gambit. This is the famous scene in the movie Casablanca where Rick Blaine (played by Humphrey Bogart) asks why his restaurant is being closed. Captain Louis Renault (played by Claude Rains) replies, “I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here!” Whereupon the croupier hands him a roll of bills and says, “Your winnings, sir.” He pockets the cash and says, “Oh. Thank you very much.”
November 18, 2007 at 10:42 pm
[…] Chaney is wondering about the accountability of prosperity preachers. I’m a pretty big fan of accountability myself. Good […]
January 15, 2008 at 4:49 am
These preachers have to become accountable with the money they spend. You can take any verse out of the bible and twist it around to make it sound like God when its far from it. This must make God throw up when this is the complete opposite Jesus I know in the Bible. There’s more being preached about the gospel of the bling then there is about righteousness. It’s one thing to want money (Which is probably the main motivation of people at these churches) but its another ball game to learn how to deal with money. I wonder if they can fit through the eye of a needle?
July 11, 2008 at 6:54 am
You know, I actually am humbled, and sad at this… mostly, lest there but by the grace of God go I… there’s no way that in my heart I applaud the government having to step in and enforce something the church itself should be living.. is there no-one in the Christian world able to ‘speak the truth in love’ that we may ‘grow up’ into Christ, and His realities???
Why are we paying so much to go to conferences to hear these people? Why do we buy their ‘resources’? What is WRONG with us???!!! Why aren’t the voices in our own everyday communities enough.. why do we hold onto an immature faith that hangs off every word of these to celebrity preachers instead of holding onto the words of Jesus? May we help them by ourselves becoming mature.
October 12, 2008 at 11:51 am
Money is mentioned more times in the New Testament than some other key Biblical terminologies. Money can be an excellent
servant but a terrible master. God wants us to
be prosperious so that we can undertake the ministry of Jesus by helping the needy in
their material needs, also to spread the gospel
of Christ. But, how the prosperity preachers
have systematically twisted the Biblical
truth into a gospel to mislead the innocent
people, so that these gang of preachers can
have a lifestyle of rich and famous. They must
be accountable for their sins of greed and love
of money. None of them ever have said ” give
a helping hand to somebody just across the
street who is undergoing a financial difficulty,
but they will flood our mail box with appeals
and getting rich so fast, and laying the foundation for their children to run the show
for ever. If the believers are not alert about
this master plan of religious deceit, nobody
should be blamed, but ourselves. Many people
are hurting financially in our church and
neighbourhood, help them and let us fulfil the
commandment of our Lord Jesus. As a small
business man, from the income, I do undertake
ministry in my homeland, and God is blessing
my business to do greater things for His kingdom. Let every believer find their own
mission field and invest there, and watch how
God will bless the ministry and us in the long
run. Our God is a God of blessing and keeps
His promise to His children.
March 26, 2012 at 4:30 am
Aufsperrdienst…
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